Man Incredibly Loses 198 Pounds in a Year After Publicly Sharing His Weight Online

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In the video that started it all, Vance Hinds stood in front of the camera in just his underwear, stepped on the scales and shared that he weighed 475 pounds. One year later, he'd be publicly stepping on the scales again, but this time he'd weigh nearly 200 pounds less. How was he able to do it? This video shows the few key things that lead to his success.

Vance Hinds was listening to a podcast when he learned of another man who had been successful losing a lot of weight. Vance decided that he was going to lose weight, too. So he made a video announcing his decision, and he posted it to his personal Facebook page. That would be the beginning of a new way of life for Vance! 

Vance was spending his days on the sofa in front of the TV. He had no energy and was in a lot of pain. After his weight-loss, he admits that he is now living a completely different life. “My life changed 180 degrees. It’s an active lifestyle now versus a sedimentary lifestyle. Before, I didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything and just watched TV. Now, we are packed with activities all the time.”

In addition to walking daily and changes in diet, Vance incorporated a yoga program designed to help rehabilitate those with severe health issues such as his own, known as DDP Yoga. DDP Yoga was founded by former professional wrestler Diamond Dallas Page, who 'accidentally' came up with the yoga that mixes stretching and strength positions with some things that he learned while in rehab following a serious back injury. After the back injury, doctors had told the wrestler that his career was over, but after strengthening his back with a yoga routine he came up with, he was able to return to the ring in three short months. "At 42 years old, they told me that my career was over. At 43, I was the heavyweight champ of the world."

If DDP yoga sounds familiar, it is also the program that veteran Arthur Boorman used to make his incredible transformation. Arthur was disabled for 15 years and doctors had told him he would never walk unassisted again. After doing yoga daily, he restored his balance and not only walked unassisted--he RAN!

WATCH: Disabled Veteran Arthur Boorman's Inspirational Transformation

Top Reasons Why Vance Hinds Was So Successful at Losing Weight

1. He made it public. Vance shared with others that he was going to be trying to lose weight. This made him accountable, and we're way more likely to stick with something when people are holding us accountable for our actions. If we keep our goals secret, it's way harder to achieve them. "All the other times I’ve done it myself, I eventually fall off," he shared.
2. Vance had a positive attitude. When he stepped on the scales at the end of the week and learned he'd gained weight instead of losing it, he used that to motivate him! Instead of giving up, he pushed harder the next week. Vance shared, “I’m just glad it’s any weight-loss. You gotta have some gratitude that you haven’t gained. Some weeks I have gained. When you gain, I use that as motivation.”
3. He got other people involved. We humans are social creatures, right? So even if we're just going for a walk, that's way more fun walking with someone than just going by ourselves. Because Vance had made his weight loss journey public, others were able to join him on the journey and support him! Not only did this keep him motivated for weight loss, but the social aspect recharged his mental health, too!
4. He didn't diminish the importance of baby steps. He recognized that any progress, no matter how small, was still to be celebrated!
5. He incorporated a workout program that was low-impact on his joints. Because of how much he weighed, Vance was restricted in which activities he would be able to do. Yoga allowed him to strengthen his core and build his muscles slowly without putting unnecessary stress on his knees and other joints.

After losing so much weight, many have asked Vance if he will have all the excess skin removed, but for now, he says, 'No way!' He told his community's newspaper, “I’m telling everyone that I earned those wrinkles. Every one of those was a really good steak, a very good glass of wine and I’m keeping it. I may change my mind down the road, but that’s my attitude right now.”

It's amazing that you can see how much better Vance feels as the video plays. He looks not only much healthier but also much happier. How wonderful that the man who was inspired by others' success stories is now inspiring people himself!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13

h/t: YouTube/DDP Yoga credit: DailyLight

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